


less than a shadow (eternity personified remix)

by summerdayghost



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Fantasy, Future Fic, M/M, Remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26728933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerdayghost/pseuds/summerdayghost
Summary: Jareth had no clue why nothing at all had as of yet happened to the sky ship.
Relationships: Jareth/Toby Williams
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: Remix Revival 2020





	less than a shadow (eternity personified remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nununununu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nununununu/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Fateful Encounter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25369900) by [Nununununu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nununununu/pseuds/Nununununu). 



Jareth’s labyrinthine kingdom above the clouds was not a place any mortal could visit without first being invited. Starting from the day the fae folk first laid eyes on their species (which all self-respecting members of the court recognize as the genesis of mankind) this had much more to do with the practical limits of the human form than any measures taken to keep them out.

The kingdom was so high in the sky that there was only a single mountain whose peak managed to touch it. That mountain was long gone before any human could dream of attempting to reach the summit. If that mountain were still there, and a person managed to withstand air pressures their bodies were not designed for without assistance, perhaps they could have trespassed, but without it there was no mundane form of transportation. To Jareth strolling through air was as simple as climbing a staircase, but to a human such a feat was beyond the unthinkable, even in dreams.

Or at least it used to be. Technology for humans had as of late gone in some rather unexpected directions. Not too long ago Jareth had spied a man soaring through the air with flames coming out of his boots. The humans were building hideous towers out of steel and mirrors, aggressive and mocking, high enough to bump up against the shacks and cottages of the most lowly of Jareth’s subjects.

The fae folk were surprised when mortals managed to discover fire, bewildered when then began using tools. Every notion Jareth’s kind ever had about the nature of humanity ended up shattered in time, but he could not help but be taken off guard by these recent developments. He was not used to human evolution having any impact on him outside of being an occasional source of amusement.

Thankfully, enchantment had thus far been able to combat the technology that brought the humans closer to his door. The man with rocket powered boots fell from the sky and the tall buildings did the same. Due to Jareth’s inherent infallibility, everything thus far had worked out and everything in the future was going to work out.

Which was the reason Jareth had no clue why nothing at all had as of yet happened to the sky ship.

***

The sky ship was first seen by a goblin knight keeping watch in the tower. It was so small as to be nearly imperceivable. If it were not for the color the sky ship would have been mistaken for a star if it were noticed at all.

Every moment the sky skip trudged closer and closer to the castle. The sky ship could not see the castle thanks to an invisibility spell Jareth hastily put on every brick in response to the potential threat, but by now the denizens of the kingdom could clearly see the sky ship in detail. It looked like a normal (with normalcy having more to do with consistency with things Jareth has observed rather than any real status quo) naval vessel except rounder and softer. The sky ship should have ended up shipwrecked far beneath the kingdom’s vision by now.

***

When Jareth finally chose to investigate he did so in the form of an owl. It was his preferred form when dealing with humans on their own territory (which this was absolutely not, everything above the clouds belonged to Jareth, but there was no protocol for this situation, even if all of Jareth’s procedures were based on passing whims anyway). In all honesty much of the comfort came from the fact that some essential part of his soul would forever be an owl no matter what shape he was in.

His flight took significantly less time than he was expecting. The realization that the sky ship’s impending arrival was far closer than Jareth had allowed himself to estimate was uncomfortable. The discomfort was not at all off set by the cozy feeling radiating from every inch of the interior of the sky ship.

The glow of the gas lamps made the whole place seem emotionally warm against the chill of the wind. Machinery was visible around every corner but it looked well loved like the whole ship was the pet project of some scoundrel with a big heart and eccentric tastes.

Jareth did not recognize the man with the hat and goggles right away, but the instant he might have laughed if his owl throat were built for such a thing. Oh this explained everything! This was not some uninvited stranger. The man had been here before, Jareth just never thought he would come back.

(Upon later reflection Jareth realized that on a subconscious level he had pulling this man towards him for a while.)

Time was such a strange thing to ponder, especially when comparing how the fae experienced it to the way mortals did. A single day from the perspective of a mortal was an entire season for a faerie. Humans would be indistinguishable from curiosities trapped in amber, if it were not for the fact that strong magic could force them to see time properly.

Yet despite how slowly the humans moved, civilizations would rise and fall, centuries would pass, and generations would be lost to dust, before a fae would age as much as a human might in a year. From the limited perspective of a mortal a faerie was nothing less than eternity personified.

It had been a very long time for both of them. So long that Toby’s essential nature had changed, and Jareth’s ideas for a use for him changed alongside with him, the memory of their original encounter fading into something less than a shadow.

There would be a place for Toby in the chaos of Jareth’s court. He could already imagine spinning him around and around in the ballroom forever, seeing him when he woke up in the afternoons under the covers still fast asleep, having him sit at the side of his throne.

“Where did you come from?”

Jareth planned to more properly acquaint himself through dreams, one of the more charming methods of courtship, but allowing a gloved finger to stroke his feathered chest would prove to be a more than fine enough start.

“You know, growing up, my sister told me stories about owls and kings, and a labyrinth above the clouds.”


End file.
